Georgia Jeff

I wouldn't put it past him. He does fish against me in the river bass fishing tournament I put on. My regular fishing partner just bought the same Cuda model though so we will find out soon. That is if he will get off his lazy butt and install the thing!

Are you talking about the Shimano Chronarch 50mg? I thought they quit making those about two years ago?

That is what I was afraid of.

I talked with my friend that owns the Eagle Cuda fishfinder ($80) and he says his spots about 20 or so fish a trip where as mine spots about 20 fish a year. This really makes me wonder what the problem is because we bought fish the same river and in similar ponds.

That's not the problem. We regulary catch 10 to 40 bass total per outing so I know there are fish in the ponds.

Lipless crankbait, suspending jerkbait, or weighted worm fished slow.

I want to give spoon fishing in the pads a try this year. Maybe try that!

That would be pretty awesome! I saw one of the pros doing that during a tournament about a year ago (maybe Swindle). I assume you have to have a really nice unit to be able to see your lure with the sonar like that? Is that true? I assume a cheaper unit like mine won't do that?

Several of the ponds I fish have flat, unchanging, usually stumpless deep water areas. Usually we catch fish in the shallows. However, when the bite is tough in the shallows we always figure the fish are in the deeper water. It would be nice if the unit actually marked fish in this situation since the deeper areas are so devoid of cover.

I'm not sure I will have to check on that. I read the manual and set it up about 1 1/2 years ago and havn't messed with it since. Does Fish ID mess something up? Thanks for the responses. I know that the main purpose of a "fish" finder is to locate structure but a friend of mine has a cheap $79 Cuda and he claims it marks fish in the river (shallow river usually 10 ft or less) and mine never does. Therefore I was wondering if I had something set wrong on my unit or if his unit was just a better unit. He claimed it really helped him find fish last year. I have a pretty good grasp of where to fish in the river and in the ponds I fish but it sure wouldn't hurt if the fish finder actually "found" some fish for me!

I have a Hummingbird 565 dual beam unit that rarely ever spots fish. It does a good job of charting the bottom, stumps, etc. but hardly ever spots fish. I know that the transducer is mounted correctly. I do fish in ponds that are less than 15 feet deep and am in water less than 10 feet deep most of the time. Even this shallow shouldn't it chart fish. Does anyone else have a cheaper unit that charts fish in shallow water?

My wife thinks I have too much crap. I need to let her see some of you guys collections!

Kicker Fish bait company makes a great wacky worm. It is shaped like a "T". It is basically a trick worm with another section stuck to it to form a "T". You then place your hook in this extra section and you don't have to mess up your bait. Crap, this is too hard to explain. Here is a link....... http://www.kickerfishbait.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=42

If I could only fish one bait in the world it would be a trick worm. Here is how I rig them... weightless on a 3/0 ewg hook- Twitch your rod tip to the side with three or so quick twitches and the bait will move through the water like a slithering snake, then kill it and let it sink----Deadly! They almost always hit on the fall. If you use a smaller lighter hook they will almost float. weighted with a 1/8th oz. bullet wieght. Fish it just like you would any other weighted plastic. weightless wacky rig- when they have hammered it so much it is torn on one end. Just throw it and let it sink, twitch it a few times, let it sink. Black and junebug red are awesome colors for Zoom trickworms.

I like the feel of the bigger handle on the Skeets and I also prefer centrifigual braking. One vote for the Skeet.

I don't think this has a huge factor. Afterall Beeswax creek didn't play a major role in the 2007 classic that was on Lay Lake, did it? The pros will find the fish where ever they are. This year it just happened to be this creek.

I am just glad KVD paid such close attention to all the lessons I gave him and have used them to dominate! Ha!

Roland Martin still has a more impressive record but I think KVD will ultimately be considered the best of the best by the end of his career.

lots of people buy a cheap $10 zebco and trade it in instead of a old but still working baitcaster or spinning reel.

Thanks for the pics. With the 3 for $10 deal on stick-o's and the 25% off Zoom it looks like I will be restocking the shelves of Jeff-Mart!

The storm soft plastic swimbaits don't swim straight. I have a pack and they all swim leaning to one side. I'll spend my money elsewhere from now on. I also have a tru tungsten 4 in. hard swimbait. It is ok. It has great action but really isn't much bigger than a typical crankbait. I wish I had my money back from this purchase. The 5 in. baits they have out now would be a little more inticing.

That the ones Speedbead, they are awesome! The EK sport straps are the best straps I have ever used. They hold the glasses right at your neckline when not in use instead of half way down your chest like most do. When they are on your eyes the strap doesn't hand down and rub your neck like others do. They fit tighter I guess you could say. Here is a link... http://store.ekusa.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_10&products_id=97 Sounds like you got the Costa Tropic Star, perhaps? I have that pair and I love them. Before this season is here, I will have a pair of 580 Costa glasses in Amber.

I think this is more of a sales gimmick than it is used to actually get fishing equipment to into kids hands. If they wanted to do that they could just give the kids a ton of Zebcos for about $15 each instead of giving you $40 for a worn out baitcaster that no kid can cast. I have been told this is why Shimano will not participate in it.

I stick the scales hook back through the hole in the jaw that the fish hook made. The Boga grip type of scales usually only weight down to 1/2 pound incriments where as the standard type of scales with a hook haning out the bottom weigh down to the 1/10 ounce. I have only owned the later type and it is pretty accurate when I weigh a 5 pound of sugar. It is an old Normark that pegs out at 15 pounds. I figured if it weighed more than that I would sure as heck be keeping the fish and weighing it on something super accurate. I am going to cry when this scale finally dies as I have had it for about 5 years.

This is going to be unpopular but here I go. I have a pair of two year old Triple Tail Costas with green mirrored lenses ($189) that I like but don't love. The glass lenses are clearer than anything else that I have worn but they do not allow me to see down into the water any better than a pair of $40 Bolle sunglasses I have. If you are buying them just to see down in the water the Bolles do the job just as well. The glass lenses are heavier but are a little clearer (opinion). I have also had to have them repaired twice. Once for the frame paint coming off and once for the lense material messing up. This has cost me another $20 or so. In my opinion if you pay almost $200 for glasses they shouldn't be tearing up every year. I also have a pair of Costas that I bought that have three different sets of plastics lenses that I can change in and out. I lOVE these. I like the bright yellow lenses (not sure of the name). The tint makes greens really pop and makes everything look brighter. They are perfect for dusk and dawn. I bought them on sale for $60 from sierra trading post. If I had to buy another pair I would not spend $100 plus dollars for a pair of Costas as I don't think they are worth it. If you can find a deal then they are. sportsmansguide.com has Wiley X glasses on sale for about $30. This also lets you know about how much they are really worth! Ha!